Sorry, the accommodation of your choice is fully booked...
Don't believe it!!!
by David A. Ross
How to book your Corfu hotel online - Corfu Magazine - Vol. 4, No. 4, June 15, 2009
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'Sorry, the accommodation of your choice is fully booked. May we recommend an alternative accommodation in the location of your choice?'
Sound familiar? Perhaps you've had a particular hotel or holiday apartment in mind for your upcoming stay on Corfu. Maybe you've stayed there before and really enjoyed the facilities, or the hospitality of the owner and staff. So you march off to your travel agent, or log on to one of the major online booking services only to be told that your choice is fully booked. But is it the truth?
For years we have heard hotel and apartment owners on Corfu vent their frustration that agents, and now online booking services, have been telling clients that a particular establishment is fully booked when in fact vacancies abound. What is the game?
Many hotels and apartment complexes on Corfu enlist the services of travel agents abroad to fill their establishments. Most pay the agencies a commission based on how many rooms they sell. This seems at a glance to be a well-heeled and fair arrangement: payment made for services rendered. So why do agencies habitually direct their clients to alternative accommodations (or in some cases alternate destinations) in spite of the client's stated preference for a particular establishment? The answer is simple: money.
Presumably, some establishments pay the agents higher commissions than others, or pay a general subscription fee for a preferential listing on a high profile web site offering numerous choices, so many agencies (or web sites) regularly and without conscience steer their clients to a higher priced choice. Usually the client is none the wiser and selects from the list of alternatives. The result is that the client ends up staying somewhere other than his first choice and pays a higher price for the privilege, while the agent (or online booking service) nets a higher commission or subscription fee. But that is not where the deception ends.
Recently, a local hotel owner revealed to me that his establishment had suddenly, and without his permission or endorsement, turned up on numerous high profile web sites complete with descriptions, photos (sometimes derived directly from his personal web site) along with fully automated booking forms. The hotel, of course, had not signed an agreement with either a particular Internet publisher, or a syndicate representing multiple publishers, to pay a commission on sales, or to pay a subscription fee. Still, such visibility seemed wholly advantageous to the hotel owner - especially considering the high cost of advertising on high profile web sites. The only problem, I'm told by the owner, is that whenever booking forms are actually filled out and submitted for confirmation, a message appears on the site stating ‘No availability’ for the dates requested. In turn, an alternate selection is offered to the customer - one that is invariably more expensive than his original choice. The irony is that the customer's original choice was in all likelihood not fully booked and indeed had any number of vacancies for the dates requested. The ambiguous message, ‘No Availability’ probably refers to the fact that the publisher of the site has no contract with the hotel and is thereby using them as ‘bait’ to sell other, more expensive (subscriber) properties. Bait and switch; it’s one of the oldest games known to entrap potential customers and benefit from their lack of knowledge or understanding.
Furthermore, the problem as it is manifest on the Internet booking sites is not confined to the particular web site where the original profile or listing was made, as normally such listings appear on hundreds of sites simultaneously and ostensibly offer literally every possible accommodation in a given locale. It is indeed easy for these site developers to either cull or share information, and one can well imagine the pyramid of payments from one entity to another, each taking a small piece of the pie for bookings - the ones yielding the highest commissions.
All this might be legitimate if 1) the hotel owner was informed of the publisher's true intention and method; 2) the publisher faithfully executed the requests for reservations received online. Apparently, neither is the case. An investigation of the hotel owner’s claim (the advisement to potential clients via the booking form that his hotel had ‘No Availability’ for the requested dates when indeed there was ample availability) has found his analysis to be essentially correct.
So, if you are told that your first choice of accommodation is fully booked for the dates you request, don't necessarily believe it. Our advice is go directly to the source: book your accommodation directly with the hotel owner. Then you will be assured of the accommodation you desire. As an added benefit, you will probably save money by booking direct as the various hotels often feature specials at certain times of the year.
To be fair, online booking services offer a valuable service. They feature hotels and apartments using the latest Internet technologies to the benefit of browsers, as well as offering customer reviews. Still, accountability to both hotel owners and to consumers is essential for trust, and if they cannot or will not provide such accountability, or if they play upon consumer ignorance or the need for small hotels to advertise for clients thereby using them as bait to hook customers into booking accommodations at higher prices (who also pay the agents higher commissions), then the only answer is to take the matter into one's own hands. Don't be bashful: book direct!
· 33 rooms all with private bathroom with hair dryer, balcony with double glazed windows, air conditioning, satellite TV and direct dial phone
· Daily maid service
· Baby cot free
· Extra bed for children
under 12 years sharing, also free
· Safety box
· Small fridge
· Reception 24 hour & safety deposit boxes.
· Buffet breakfast dinning area.
· TV, lounge area.
· Pool Bar & Snack Bar.
· Swimming pool with free sun beds & umbrellas.
· Pool restaurant with Corfiot, Greek & continental menus.
· Private Parking.
· Local Bus stop
Hotel Telesilla - Kontokali, Corfu is a family operated hotel and has been offering its guests a welcoming and comfortable holiday for more than 20 years. Over the years our guests have become our friends and return to us year after year with their friends and families. So if you wish to spend your holiday in a friendly and accommodating atmosphere, visit us at the Telesilla and you will definitely come back...
